We Do It At Nite

No no no! It's not what you think. Ya know how Travis and I have been running a lot? Well we decided to run a local 5k (3.10685596 miles). We've been running 3 miles like butter, so we thought it was a fun idea. My sister Savannah decided to join us. Let me tell you a story about this girl.

She's a volleyball player. And a pretty good one too! She is a lover of exercising and workin her abs. So every once and a while she wants to join us when we run. The other day we were headed out to run 4 miles. And that's a lot for me. She asked if she could come and of course we say yes. I warned her that 4 miles is harder than 3, which was a lot for her. She said she'd like to try. She said she'd turn around early if she felt she needed to.

So we get going and she's chuggin along. She talked the whole time. The WHOLE TIME! Four miles of hearing Savannah's high school stories. (Which I don't mind, it was just insane she was handling it so well.) I was huffin and puffin and she was talkin away like nobody's business. So I learned not to doubt that girl. She can do anything.

Anyways, we did a 5k last Friday. It was called the Glow Run and the proceeds went to the American Cancer Society. Good cause right? When you registered, you got a glowstick bracelet and necklace. And we also bought some from the dollar store. The race was at night, so it was pretty cool. We were pretty decked out. The t-shirts said 'Glow Run 5k- We Do It At Nite'. I thought it was cute, but some people didn't. So you decide. And I don't know why they spelled night like that. It kinda annoys me, but whatever. haha.

 The person that planned the event said she expected only 100 to 150 people. There ended up being over 450. So they were super unprepared, but it's okay. The race started at 9:00 pm. So it was getting dark. In cross-country, when I was in middle school and high school, I hated races. They made me so nervous. But when I'm racing, I get in this "zone". All I wanna do is pass everyone around me. So when this race started, we started at a pretty good pace. We were passing people, but people were passing us too. At the halfway point, Travis took off. Savannah and I kept going strong and nobody passed us after the halfway. We passed a ton of people. We were seriously cruising and I was surprised. Travis ended up finishing at 24:04. And I finished at 25:33, and Savannah at 26:23. This summer I've been running 3 miles at 28-30 minutes. So I was pretty proud of Travis, Savannah, and me.

BEFORE

AFTER

Does Travis look any different? Nope. He doesn't sweat from his chest up, so he always looks so gorgeous next to my oompa loompa faced self. haha.

Running For Me

Travis had this brilliant idea for us to train for a half marathon this summer. He's always wanted to do one. I laughed and shrugged it off because I know it's impossible for me to do something like that. Let me tell you why I thought that.

I did cross-country in middle school and high school because it was one of the only co-ed sports and I got a lot of cool t-shirts. I was actually pretty decent. Not the best, but pretty decent. Despite the fact that my body hates running, I pushed through and did well. I threw up after almost every race. I don't know why I did, it just happened. I can count on one hand how many races I didn't throw up after during those 6 years I ran. I'm not telling you this because I want you to feel queasy; I'm telling you this because I want you to see that my body hates running. So when Travis said we should train for a half marathon I laughed. If I can barely handle three miles, how can I do 13?

Here's a secret. Deep deep deep down I had this crazy desire. It was pretty deep inside me. I buried the desire for a long time. But finally I gave in to it. I told Travis that I wanted to do it. I wanted to prove to myself that I can do hard things. I wanted to show myself that I'm strong. And I want a sexy bod for the summer. Haha. ;)

So we're doing it. We have a 12 week plan. Last week we did three miles a day with four miles on Saturday. It's killing me, but I can feel myself getting stronger. I'm excited to get better and run crazy mileage that I have never done before. I wanted to write about it on here so I can be held accountable. Haha. Anyways, wish me luck. And if I die, I love you all!

Singing Sisters

Savannah and I sang at our ward talent show. She signed us up, so I had no choice! It ended up being okay. Actually worked out better than I thought. So enjoy! =)

Wait... Washington... What?

Okay.... so it's been FOREVER since I last wrote. I have no excuse besides my laziness. And the fact that I think my life is boring, and nobody would be interested in hearing about it. But I need to blog. I think about blogging every day. When something happens, I immediately think, "Oh I gotta remember to put that on the blog!". But then I forget about it 37 seconds after the thought. So anyways, I'm making myself write something today.. and I hope you can make it through it without falling asleep. haha.

All right, you caught me. My life is not that incredibly boring. Sometimes I feel like it is though. Travis and I left Rexburg when the semester ended at the beginning of April. I graduated with my degree in Elementary Education. It still doesn't feel real.

We're living with my parents here in Washington. We were hoping to find jobs to keep us busy this summer. I finally got a job last week. I'm working at Coldwater Creek. It's a really nice (meaning expensive) clothing store, mostly for older ladies, but I'd be happy shopping there. I'm not naturally a sales person and I guess you're supposed to be when doing retail. I'm supposed to talk women into buying things they don't really need because it looks "pretty" on them. At first I had a really hard time with it. I didn't want to be the annoying lady in the store that I hate when I'm shopping. But I need to be that person. So I'm kinda learning and growing everyday in my "annoying lady in the store" skills. But the people are nice and I really am thankful to have a job. Travis still has yet to find a job. We've been here for over a month and he's probably filled out over 40 job applications. (P.S. I only filled out 3 or 4 when I got my job. Lucky me!) My parents have been kind enough to put him to work around the house. He's been painting the trim to all the doorways and he'll paint all the doors soon. So he's been busy.

So we're in Washington. Life is fun. We got called to be nursery leaders. It's a blast. It's fun being in the town where I grew up. I'm glad I'm here to spend these last few months with my family before we head to Kansas in January. Who knows when we'll be able to get back to visit once we're there.

Puppy Love

It's a Girl!

I had a baby. Okay, I didn't "have" the baby, but I bought one! Here's the story.

I was staying after school for some parent-teacher conferences at the elementary school in Idaho Falls. My friend and I went to Walmart to kill some time between when school ended and when the conferences began. There was a truck that was selling puppies in the Walmart parking lot. We stopped to look at the puppies. When I was walking to the little box they had the puppies in I noticed the adult dog in the truck. It was a dachshund (wiener dog)!! Holy moly. Holy guacamole. Holy everything! That is Travis's and my dream dog. So I peer into the little box full of puppies.... and they're little wiener dogs! I seriously almost cried. I asked how much they were and the lady says "50 bucks" like it's no big deal! Seriously?! Okay, I really almost cried. They're $600+ everywhere I've seen. I immediately called Travis and he gave me the go ahead. I picked out our baby and arranged pick up. I was staying at the elementary school until 8:00 for conferences so I had to arrange a place to pick up our puppy after that. I couldn't concentrate on anything during the conferences. My legs were shaking because I was so excited.

We love our new baby. She's so smart and playful. She has such a personality. I've never had a dog. Yeah NEVER! I've always ALWAYS wanted one. And finally I have one. It's a lot more work than I imagined, but so worth it. She loves Travis and I. She's so tiny. We're excited to see what she'll grow up to look like. She's half dachshund and half pug. We love love love love love her. The little puppy temporarily filled a little hole I've had in my heart for a while. I've needed something to care for. My mommy instincts have been aching. So this will hold me over (for at least a couple more months haha).

We love her coloring!

Her favorite way to sleep is on her back.

She's eating a leaf.

She loves this monkey!

Her first bath! Sorry it's blurry.

Sorry if I sound like a crazy dog lady. I'm just so excited and happy that little Lyla is in our life. She's wonderful.

Student Teaching: COMPLETE!

Isn't my class cute? I student taught in fourth grade. They are so great! The best kids ever. I can't believe it's over. It was such a great learning experience for me. The kids really believed in me. I learned and grew in so many ways. I'm excited and terrified to have my own classroom in the future. I learned a lot while student teaching. One thing I learned is don't get involved in the drama. The drama really surprised me. I didn't know it would be like it was. But I guess if you put a lot of women together, there will be drama. So I learned that I cannot get involved. I have to separate myself from it. I also learned that the kids forget and forgive so quickly. Sometimes I was less patient than I should have been. They easily forgave me. They inspire me to be better. I also learned that fourth graders have boyfriends and girlfriends. They are so love crazy! haha. Another thing I learned is every child needs someone to depend on. Some kids don't have that at home. One of my favorite parts of teaching is being someone a student can depend on. It's also one of the hardest parts because that only lasts until 3:00. Some kids go home to some pretty crazy lives. I just hope they always have great teachers that help them get through school. I loved my experience. It was amazing. I'm definitely not perfect, but I'm excited to continue to learn and grow in my teaching abilities. I definitely know I am doing what I was meant to do. I love the kids!